How to Survive a Horror Story

A Novel

De: Mallory Arnold

Narrado por: Gabra Zackman

Seven authors enter the manor

Can they survive the story within?

When legendary horror author Mortimer Queen passes, a group of writers find themselves invited to his last will and testament reading expecting a piece of his massive fortune. Each have their own unique connection to the literary icon, some known, some soon to be discovered, and they've been waiting for their chance to step into the author’s shoes for some time.

Instead, they arrive at his grand manor and are invited to play a game. The rules are simple, solve the riddle and progress to the next room. If they don’t, the manor will take one of them for itself.

You see, the Queen estate was built on the bones of Mortimer’s family, and like any true horror story, the house is still very, very hungry.

With the clever, locked-room thrills of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone with the ghostly horror of The Fall of the House of Usher, How to Survive a Horror Story is a bright, biting, thrill-ride that begs us to contemplate how the best horror stories come to be.

©2025 Mallory Arnold (P)2025 Sourcebooks

Good read but fairly predictable

I liked the story for sure but nearly from the beginning I could see the end in someway shape or form. Either it would zig or zag. And it zagged. However it didn’t make the reading listening any less enjoyable

The storyline and back stories were so good

I have never been so captivated by a horror book in my life. I’m a romance girl at heart, so this is out of my norm, but it is so worth the read!

I thoroughly enjoyed!

This was a really good book! Although, if I were invited to attend the reading of the will for someone that I know didn't like me, I'd graciously send me regards and carry on about my life. There's no way I'd go expecting something. I simply wouldn't trust it. Now, Melanie was the most intriguing of all the characters. Her interaction with Mortimer was quite fleeting compared to the others, yet she, too, received an invite. If I were in her shoes, I couldn't honestly say whether I would've accepted it or not. It was interesting also to hear each character's story told from their own perspective versus Mortimer's and deciding who to believe. Suffice it to say, the only real way to a horror story is to not be a horrible person.

Clue but saw but fun

I really like this one. The character development was good. Everyone was well rounded. The idea was original overall it’s great.

Delightful dark

Loved how the characters are revealed and the development of plot!! Definitely would read another story from this author

Wildly entertaining!

Enjoyed every second of this book! Mystery and horror with a fantastic cast of characters.
The narration was excellent as well.

Spooky Gruesome Game of Clue

So proud of my insanely talented friend!
How to Survive a Horror Story had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It’s smart, spooky, and totally addictive. A must-listen! 🎧🖤🔪👻

Many Issues Here

There are so many writing/editing issues with this book. Things like the author telling us there is only wine, no water and a few sentences later they are drinking water. Another example is describing a man coughing and instead of saying, "he pounded his chest with his fist". the author says he pounded his fist with his chest. Lots of little oddities like that throughout. Very poor and annoying editing.
The worst part about this though, by far, is the narrator. She has a very harsh and grating tone, Feels like she is yelling at you half the time. Narrator also gets confused midsentence about which character she is voicing. Very hard to follow along with. I absolutely will never listen to another book read by this narrator.
Buy at your own risk, though I expect it will be a free audible plus book before too long.

Soulless

If you want to read something like a locked cabin thriller that features authors: You are fatally invited is the one

Killed the Queer First

Within just two and a half hours, this author writes a complete parody of a gay man. The over the top, offensive stereotype you see from an 80's movie. Pink pants suit, intrusive, flamboyant, gossipy, and a diamond studded tooth as their defining physical trait. Not even a main character, but the dumb, gossip, gay BFF of a tabloid diva.

Then, the author shunts him out of the narrative during the character building of everyone else the author deemed more important, only to then make a big jump scare out of the gay character's gruesomely tortured and skinned corpse falling onto the dinner table. It's like Otho from Beetlejuice got dropped in, but killed right at the start of the movie.

Fuck you and this tired, homophobic, disdainful, violently hateful trope.